Problems with Three Experimental Education Acts Emerge, Ministry of Education Promises to Propose Amendments Next Year

Central News Agency (Reporter Lin Ching-yin, Taipei, 13th) The Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee today held a public hearing on amendments to the Three Experimental Education Acts. Regarding the issues raised by participants, such as review and evaluation mechanisms, site acquisition, and insufficient counseling resources, Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien stated that it will be 10 years since the last amendment next year, and the Ministry of Education will further propose amendments. The Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee convened a public hearing on "Amendments to the Three Experimental Education Acts." Wei Kun-pin, Chairman of the Taiwan Experimental Education Alliance, pointed out that experimental education was a term created under specific historical circumstances, which now causes difficulties in its promotion. He suggested that it should start from the most core "rectification of names" and deconstruct the systemic structure. He recommended that specialized laws should be enacted for different categories, with corresponding legal systems, policies, and budgets, so that experimental education can find its proper place. Li You-cheng, Project Host of 5IN Experimental Education Institution, mentioned that the government must seriously address the continuously growing demand for experimental education and have clearer positioning and planning; otherwise, it will be a waste of educational resources. Experimental education should be regarded as a role that creates value for the system, serving as an R&D and innovation engine for the education system, and establishing a public welfare incentive mechanism to invest more teaching subsidies. Chen Hui-hsun, Executive Director of the Taiwan Continuing Forward Indigenous Education and Culture Industry Association, explained that it is difficult to find teachers for indigenous people, and universities should be encouraged to offer experimental education departments. Cheng Tung-liao, Associate Professor of the Department of Education at National Chengchi University, explained that teacher training should be diversified, opening up teacher certification for different educational methods, allowing public schools to introduce different teachers; regarding venues, the Ministry of Education should prioritize the use of abandoned school sites for non-school institutions; self-learning as a main concept is a future trend, and the proportion of experimental schools should be relaxed from the current 5% to 15% at each stage; members of the review committee should be mandated to receive professional training. Kuomintang Legislator Ko Ju-chun mentioned that the number of experimental education students is steadily growing, but the subsidy for experimental education in the 114th academic year was only NT$36.41 million, with each experimental education student receiving only NT$1,300. The Ministry of Education should propose concrete and meaningful subsidy systems, establish a fairer and more reasonable support system, and initiate a comprehensive review of the Three Experimental Education Acts as a possibility for enacting specialized laws. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Li-hua, who convened this public hearing, explained that the experimental education review committee should shift from a rejection-based system to a supportive governance model, with physical and mental health and healthy relationships as common baseline indicators, and establish a learning base network and community spaces. She also suggested strengthening the proportion of experts in the review committee to counterbalance local administrative abuse of power and prevent experimental education from being constrained by local governments. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Pei-yu pointed out that since the enactment of experimental education laws, it has indeed met the expectations for educational choice and diverse education, leading to a continuous increase in student numbers. It also reflects many frontline problems that require amendments to ensure better care for students and parents, including making the review system more responsive to needs, simplifying the application process for experimental education, and the Ministry of Education assisting in the application for experimental education venues and the referral of specialized counseling resources. Experimental education children are our children and should not be regarded as outside the system; this is also a core issue to be discussed in future amendments. Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien stated that experimental education institutions operate with great difficulty and should be taken seriously by the government, with public resources invested. Experimental education is already innovative education. Since the approval authority for public-run public-managed experimental education lies with local governments, the thresholds and standards vary. To retain the spirit of innovation, the Ministry of Education will use an innovative education project approach this year to provide resources to experimental education institutions through a review process. Regarding the exchange between innovative education and mainstream education, Chang Liao Wan-chien explained that research will begin this year, and exchanges will start next year. As for venues, Chang Liao Wan-chien mentioned that the Public Construction Commission issued relevant regulations on the diversified use of surplus school spaces and venue rental methods in September last year. The Ministry of Education will regularly check whether school spaces are used according to regulations, allowing local schools to have space for operation. Regarding insufficient resources, it will also be immediately researched and included in next year's budget. Chang Liao Wan-chien emphasized that it will be 10 years next year since the amendment of experimental education in 2017, and the Ministry of Education will collect more opinions and further propose amendments. (Editor: Chang Jo-yao) 1150413